Antitip construction for baby carriages



May 10,1949. H.w.-w|KMAN ETAL 2,469,9Q9

ANTIfIIP CONSTRUCTION FOR BABY CARRIAGES Filed Nov. 1'7, 1945 INVENTORS- 5 H ELMER W.WICKMAN AT T'OR NEY GEORGEA.J RAC NE.

Patented May 10, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE ANTITIP CONSTRUCTION FOR BABY CARRIAGES of Massachusetts Application November 17, 1945, Serial No. 629,210

6 Claims.

This invention relates in general to baby carriages, and in particular to an improved safety or anti-tip construction therefor, by which to insure against the carriage being tipped or turned over backwards (or the fulcrum afforded by ground contact of its rear wheels) when the occupants weight is shifted to and/or concentrated at the extreme rear and usually overhanging end of the carriage body.

Heretofore, the so-called safety legs or struts, intended to prevent such overturning of a baby carriage, have been mounted on the running gear or chassis beneath the carriage body, with provision for being moved down (usually in response to setting of the brakes) to engage the ground somewhat behind the points of rear wheel contact with the ground; however, the limitations imposed by such method of mounting on the length and rearward reach of an anti-tip leg or strut are such that the carriage is still susceptible to being tipped over backward on the fulcrum afforded by the ground contact of a so-mounted leg, and the comparative ease with which this overturning can take place is contributed to in most cases by the up and down movements which the carriage body is free to have on its supporting springs, in response to rapid and violent movements of the occupant, when standing or kneeling at the extreme rear portion of said body.

Our invention corrects this and other short comings of previous anti-tip or so-called safety legs for baby carriages, by a construction and arrangement of parts which is adapted to stabilize the carriage body itself rather than the running gear, and which obtains ground contact when in operative position, at a point far enough back, in all cases and under all conditions, to prevent the carriage from turning over backwards.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent in the following detailed description thereof, reference being had in this connection to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a baby carriage, equipped with our improved anti-tip device and showing the latter in its operative position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, showing said anti-tip device apart from the carriage and in its retracted or inoperative position.

Fig, 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing said anti-tip device, as drawn out, dropped down, and latched in its operative or ground-contacting position.

Fig. 4 is a large scale fragmentary sectional view, the section being taken substantially in the vertical plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 discloses a modified form of our invention which comprises a strip [2 which is adapted to be secured at each side of the carriage body 6.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Fig. 1 shows a baby carriage having running gear and body of substantially conventional construction. The running gear comprises a front axle I carrying ground wheels 2, '2 and a rear axle 3 carrying ground wheels 4, 4, the two axles being connected together and held in parallel spaced relation by the usual elongated leaf springs 5, 5 extending lengthwise of the carriage on each side. The upwardly and inwardly curved ends of said springs provide a cushion support for the carriage body 6, said spring ends as here shown having the usual shackle connections 1, I for the attachment thereto On each side of the carriage of a pair of body-supporting links 8, 8. In the carriage shown by Fig. 1, which is of the folding type, with a collapsible body 6, the links 8, 8 are crossed, and are arranged to support or suspend the body 6 by connection of their outer upper ends to a substantially rectangular frame 9 of wood or other suitable material that runs around the upper edge of the body 6, with the sides and ends of the body depending downwardly from this supporting frame 9. Said sides and ends of the body 6 are lined or covered interiorily with any suitable upholstered fabric or material, as indicated at It, this material being shown as extended outwardly to cover over and give a finished appearance to the sides and ends of the body frame 9, which forms, as shown, an ornamental out-turned rim or flange ll around the bodys upper edge.

Our invention contemplates an anti-tip safety stand or strut of sufficient length to reach, as hereinafter described, from the carriage bodys rear edge to the ground, and the above described overhang along the bodys sides of such a rim or flange H, however it may be formed, affords a convenient and out-of-the-way place for the accommodation and storage of a member of such attachment of a pair of elongated strips l2, each. preferably of the cross sectional shape shown in Fig. 4. Each strip 12 provides a substantially fiat upper section l3, which may be apertured as shown at I3 for the passage of screws or the like securing the strip to the under surface of a side portion of the frame 9. The strip material extends downwardly. to form a curvedtrough-like section l4, thejfreeedge of which, as shown at I5, is upturned and terminates somewhat short of the opposite side of the fiat upper section i3.

Thus, the two strips l2, I2 runningunderneath the sides of the body rim ll provide a pairof spaced longitudinal guides, each open along one side, as shown at It, said guides being-arranged to receive, and to support for sliding movement lengthwise of body 6 our elongatedsafetystand whose strut portion IT, as here shown, consists of a single piece of metal tubing bent into a substantially U-shaped form, that is, with two parallel side sections l8, l8 and an intermediate transverse section l9.

the free end :of:,-each-e1ongated section It is provided harrelatively-short hinged section:2i], preferably of-the same tubular stock, each section ZB'being'joined .to its: associated sectionis t-a hinge or; pivotal connectionshown .at ZI,

which permits--rocking-,between said-section .on a transverse axis. The stock of '-at--le ast one of said :hinged sectionslzllis deflected at the endof saidsection, as 'shown at -22,- to provide a tongue whichextendsthrongh the sideopening Iii-of the. associated guide -strip:-l2, and forv cooperation with:;such tongue 122,:the guide strip [2, near its rearward endyis formed-with'a projecting stop 23, lying in thepath of the tongue '22 and adapted tolrbe struck ;by said tongue when our safety stand II, from its "telescopedposition: within the guides [2, [2 (see Fig. 2) is pulled out far enough (see fFig.-3)nto carry its hinges :2l, ,2l clear of: the rear ends ofsaid-guides; under these conditions the U-shaped strut:member I? is rendered-free to swing on ,the'rtra-nsverse axis provided by the hinges 2l,:.2l, so as to drop down by gravity-into the operative or-:anti-tip position shown by Fig. 1. ,Inrth-is positionya; lug 24 on one'of thesections '1 ['8 engages with a.-notch"25 provided int-he edge :of a spring latch 26 pivoted at 21 to acbracket 28 projectingfrom one ,of the 'body supporting links 8,- therebyto lock the'stande' I'l v inthe operativeposition shown by-Fig. 1. In order to returnsaid safety-stand-to its inoperative or telescoped position within theg-uides [2, the latchizfi has to be depressed by-rocking it about its pivot 2'], therebyfreeingthe lug '24 from the notch 2-5 andallowingthestand Hto be swung upwardly on the axisrof'hingesi 2i-to a horizontal position, and then pushed forwardly into the g uides,;as shown in'Fig-Z.

The stability afforded by our anti-tip construction-is, far greater than-that afforded by the previous devices of-;this :class which have been attached to the running "gear :ratherthan to the body of the'carriag-e. This increase of stability isrtdue to ;the;fact that the engagement of our safety-stand with .theaground is well in the rear ofthecenter of gravity of the carriage, and also because,- of;thefact thatitrforms a strut forrthe bodyitselixby which :to substantially immobilize said "body, notwithstanding the latters support on-,the usual springs. This eliminates anypossibilit-y-of the carriage being overturned by violent movements of the'occupant, when standing or kneeling at the rear-portion of the body.

O,ur -.devic e, despite-its length, .isadapted to be carried asiabovecdeseribed -.;in an Outr-Of -therWay an ssubstantially :concealed :position, when :not

in use; such position, however, enables it to be put into use very readily, without requiring any stooping over on the part of the operator. The operator needs only to seize the device, as by its transverse portion 19, and pull it out to the limit of rearward movement, ,as determined by-zengagemerit. of lug. 22 with stopl23; thereupon with release of the operators hold, the device drops by gravity to operative position (Figs. 1 and 3) by swinging movement on its hinges 2|, 2! which only become active to permit such movement,

when drawn out of the guide members l2, l2 by the above-described rearward movement of our device. ,In.the final portion of said downward gravity swing, our. device, by engagement of its lug M with the notch 25 of latch 26 becomes positivelylockedin operative position, and incapable of being released therefrom by either a forward oraa backward movement of the carriage; release from such operative position can only occur by depression of latch 26,;which-permitsour device to ,be swung upwardly on the hingesil, Zlxflfld therli. pushed forwardly into; the guide members [2,- 2.

In the form offlour invention shown1;by-Fig.-.-5, the constructionand operation of .the-rantietip strut or stand, is preciselyasJdeScribed'abOVe, the. only difference-being in the 'location:-,onf.the carriage body 6 of the channelr-likestrips :lZ' that slidably. receive the: sideor leg portions :18, I8 of the strut-member. The modifiediorm f carriage, unlike the bodyefi of Fig. L -is notpprovided with any-overhanging -oroutturnedrim or flange, such as-shown-at-ll in -Fig..-'1. Under these conditions, the strips i-l2f,:instead-1of being apertured in the manner-shownat l3 .iniEigs, 12 and 3, are apertured in their verticalxportionsas at l3" .for the passage of. holding screws that secure the strips to. the sides ofqthecarriage zbody. In all other'respects, the modifiedformwofpa-rriage is substantially nthe sameas :the device shown in Figs. lto 4,incluusive.

We claim:

.1. In a baby-carriage,--the-;c0mbination'3witl: running gear, a carriage:body, and springrmeans for resiliently supporting said: body on said:;running gear, of -a=safety device including an elongated strut pivotally-mountedrat-zone endrthereof at the upper portion-of {said carriage -:bo;dy,.;"-sa-i'd strut being adaptedto be swung upwardly about its pivotal mounting-into an inoperative position and to beswung downwardly to -its'xoperative position so as todependifromsai-d carriage :body for engagement with the ground thereby substantially to immobilize'saidspring means;:and means for releasably maintaining said -stlutrin 'bothgits operative and inoperative positions.

2. In 'a .baby carriageythe com-bination-=with running gear,..a carriage-body,v and: spring :means foruresiliently supporting said body on.;said--running gear, of a safety ..device including a -substantially U-shaped strut having-eachvofiits. two free ends pivotallymounted atthe uppenportion of a respective one of thevsides: 0f: -sa:idc carriage body, said strut: being adapted to be: swungsupwardly about 1 its pivotal mounting iinto an zinoperative position and :-to ."be strong .:do,wnw.ardly to its operativemosition :so:astto'=depend from said carriage body for .-engagement with :the ground thereby substantially to immobilizetsaid sprin means, and;means for releasably-maintaining said'strut inbbothits operative and-inoperative positions.

3. In a baby carriage, the combination with running-z gear;v andzarcarriagerbody resilientlysdpwith their pivotal mountings so that said strut,-

when not in use, may be manually shifted into a body-encircling relation with said carriage.

4. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear, a carriage body having an outwardly projecting rim extending about the upper edge portion thereof, and spring means for resiliently supporting said body on said running gear, of a safety device including a substantially U-shaped strut having each of its two free ends pivotally mounted at the upper portion of a respective one of the sides of said carriage body,

said strut being adapted to be swung downwardly about its pivotal mountings to its operative position so as to depend from said carriage body for engagement with the ground thereby substantially to immobilize said spring means, means for releasably locking said strut in its operative position, and means disposed directly beneath said projecting rim and adjacent each of the carriage body sides for telescopically receiving and supporting the free ends of said strut along with their pivotal mountings so that said strut, when not in use, may be manually urged to a concealed position directly beneath said rim.

5. In a baby carriage, the combination with running ear, and a carriage body resiliently supported upon said running gear and havin an outwardly projecting rim extending about the upper edge portion thereof, of a safety device including a substantially U-shaped strut formed so as to be snugly received, when not in use, about the upper rear portion of said carriage body in a concealed position directly beneath said rim, guide means for telescopically receiving and supporting said strut beneath said rim so that said strut may be pulled away from said carriage body and clear of said guide means, hinge elements connected with the free end portions of said strut for affording a pivotal connection between said strut and said guide means whenever said strut is pulled clear of the latter, said strut being adapted, when clear of said guide means, to pivot downwardly under gravity force about said hinge elements so as to depend from said carriage body for engagement with the ground, and means for releasably maintaining said strut in its ground-engaging position.

6. In a baby carriage, the combination with running gear, and a carriage body resiliently supported upon said running gear and having an outwardly projecting rim extending about the upper edge portion thereof, of a safety device including a substantially U-shaped strut, a pair of guide elements each disposed lengthwise of a respective one of the carriage body sides and directly adjacent and beneath said rim for telescopically receiving and supporting said strut in a concealed position beneath said rim whenever said strut is not in use, a pair of hinge elements supported by said guide elements and each being pivotally connected to a respective one of the free end portions of said strut and adapted to be carried to the end portion of its associated guide element by a retractile movement of said strut relative to said carriage body, thereby freeing the outer end of said strut for a downward movement about said hinge elements so that said strut may depend from said carriage body for engagement with the ground, means for limiting the retractile movement of said hinge elements, and means for releasably maintaining said strut in its groundengaging position,

HELMER W. WICKMAN. GEORGE A. J. RACINE.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,032,607 Ingalls July 16, 1912 2,402,332 Flynn June 18, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 464,805 France Jan. 22, 1914 

